Getting the right size mask

Are we just suppose to rely on the person that provides the masks to get the right size? If so that answers this post. If not, then how do you know what size you should be wearing?

I didn't even realize about the sizing until my husband received Easy Life masks refills. I don't know what you call them. It is just part of the mask. He got 4 of them. We do not know why yet. We will find out. He gave me one because he knew I was using that mask. His were mediums and my mask is a small.

Maybe it should have fit but I could not get his replacement to fit in my mask. Maybe I was doing it wrong. Not like you get instructions with all of these.

Since I mentioned in another post that this Easy Life was starting to hurt like the bridge of my nose and it is not on too tight, maybe it is too small??

The more I try to work with this, the closer I think I am getting to just forgetting it. My husband is doing fairly well on his Swift FX. I would to but my nose has too many sores in it right now. I cannot find out how to fix that yet either. Ayr Gels and salines do not do that. They sooth but not heal.

Hi, I imagine your husband's refills showed up (and will continue to do so at intervals) because his insurance covers them on a routine basis whether or not he needs them (talk about waste). You said they were mediums, and he expected them to fit your mask? As in "my jeans should fit you"? That won't happen - maybe he was trying to be helpful, but it won't work (as you obviously can tell ). Your masks' (or his) replacement parts (just the soft ones that touch you) are called cushions, or seals, depending on the actual mask style. Your EL is either too small, or just incompatible with your face, but so many people have nose-bridge problems with masks that otherwise fit well (and would be otherwise too large if the bridge did fit) that they either switch to another type or else use various fixes like 'moleskin' that you get at the drugstore, or other things (do a forum 'search' for nose bridge), but you will have to take off a couple of days to allow things to heal first (use Polysporin or something specific for healing, rather than the others you mentioned that are for ongoing use).

You would go to the DME for proper fitting of masks, take your time trying them on in various sizes just like you would with anything else, fiddle with the headgear, hopefully with somewhere to lie down for a 'best fit while in use' vs standing up.

And don't give up - you're doing it to save your life, so a little trouble early on is to be expected (at least these days there are choices - 15 yrs ago you would have had very few of them). You'll get it all sorted out but just take one step at a time.

Thanks Julie for your message. It was encouraging. As for the 4 masks that came in the mail, I agree with you, total waste. I have seen that in other areas. We were both 'in awe' when they arrived. He did not ask for them. He was not using his Easy Life and I was using mine, so he figured I could use the replacement ones. Up until then we had no idea the mask itself came in sizes. I guess common sense would have figured that out. I discovered it when trying to use the new ones and I saw the 'S' on my mask. I knew the nasal pillows came in sizes for the Swift FX. The insurance company happens to be medicare. I won't get political but I have always felt that 'cuts' were not needed BUT stop the waste. This is a prime example and I know many others. Really sad.

I am seeing my Pulmonary Dr tomorrow about something else but he ordered my sleep study also. I will ask him about something to clear my nose.

Again, your message was encouraging. I will hang in there.

Just a tip - if you're congested, it could be from the humidifier setting being on 'high'... try turning it down (or vice versa if it's low - everyone reacts differently.

Just so you are aware, for some masks, like the Hybrid, different size cushions fit the same frame.

Julie; Thanks, I have played with that one. I am okay now with the humidifier.

Jdm2857, I was wondering about that with the EasyLife. it’s a Nasal mask. I have small insert in mine. My husband has some extra medium inserts. I don’t know if they are interchangeable. I guess he talked with a rep today about his machine, and they are going to call me. I tried to put his medium insert in my mask but might not have been doing it right. I didn’t get it snapped in good.

I have the Nasal Pillow Swift FX and am aware that it has the different size pillows.

Who uses the Hybrid. If I am right, that covers the mouth and then has the pillows that seal in the nose? I am still working on learning about them but think I almost got it figured out. I use the EasyLife and it is over nose but Hybrid is over the mouth and pillows.

I will be seeing my rep again before too long and probably try something else. I really sort of like the Swift FX and the EasyLife. I like alternating because of problems I can get with my nose.

The EasyLife is really pretty good but it bothers across the top of my nose. I don't have it too tight. I think it might be when I lay on my side. Still working on it. I don't seem to get bad leaks. I do really wish it had a clip to connect it each time and not have to loosen the velcro to get over my head. I guess you cannot have everything.

I am getting somewhere with this but very slow. Thanks to everyone that responds. I get back but takes a while some weeks.

You would go to the DME for proper fitting of masks, take your time trying them on in various sizes just like you would with anything else, fiddle with the headgear, hopefully with somewhere to lie down for a 'best fit while in use' vs standing up.

That is in the IDEAL world where your DME knows anything about a proper fitting and even if they KNOW, are they going to do it properly? Not everyone does.

All of the major mask manufacturer's have websites with fitting guides and even templates you can print out and cut out to see for yourself if it will fit your face. Like everything else with CPAP, it helps to be proactive. Learn all you can about your mask of choice and how to fit it. Then ask for what you want or need.

The FX is nice because all of the sizes are included in the package and it's very adjustable to begin with--giving you the best opportunity to find the right size and fit it to your face in your bed and sleeping conditions. Keep in mind the nasal pillows wear out quickly and you can trade the sizes you don't need on the Great Pillow Exchange for the size you use.

Hi Janknitz; Since I don't live in the IDEAL world, I am trying to learn just a slow process and I have to not take too much on at one time. This past week I spent getting a good handle on the different types of mask and then starting to sort thru the choices of the ones of interest.

The Mirage Quattro had a CD with it and that was a great thing for me to watch in the beginning. Well presented. I don’t care for the mask tho. I do go to the sites for the videos and even YouTube has them. It just took me a while to get used to the names and places for all this. It’s getting there. (grin)

My husband has a Comfort Fusion that I tried and it felt like it was cheap plastic?? I didn’t like it anyway. Fishers don’t seem the best made. Seems most are Resmed or Respironics in our house. I didn’t see templates though. Will check that out. I think that was what they did at the sleep night.

This keeps getting fit in between learning about Diabetes for my husband and a couple other illness. This keeps slipping down the list and then I get back to it. I believe all health things you need to be proactive today. Very important.

How do you know when they wear out. Do they just leak. Thanks again for the help. It does help.

Each person will find that the fit of their mask depends on their facial features I believe. Big nose doesn't necessarily mean Large size mask. I think it is more a matter of getting the mask to sit on your face properly and I do NOT believe that all DME's have it down right. I believe that YOU need to be your own advocate and ensure that the mask fits. One thing I will always insist on a mask is a forehead brace to remove the pressure from the bridge of my nose and spread it out. On my Mirage Activa that is exactly what I have. Another thing I will insist on is a mask that fills with air and bellows out like the Activa, to form a seal. It seems to work well for me. I could never get used to the nasal pillows but am about to give them a try again. As a matter of interest, having spent some time in hospital this year, there are a great many people these days that have allergic reaction to various plastics and it is a real issue for the hospitals.... and for those that are using face masks. Rashes, blisters, etc., may not be caused by pressure at all but rather, by allergic reaction to plastic or the components thereof that are used for strengthening or softening. The allergic reaction may not show up immediately either. Those of us that use epoxy in building things (like boats) often learn this the hard way by ignoring the cautions on the packaging to wear NITRILE gloves and not latex. The components of the epoxy that are most likely to cause allergic reaction penetrate latex without you knowing! And you may use the epoxy for six months without reaction and one day... BAMMO! HUGE allergic reaction to the extent that you cannot be in the same vicinity as epoxy that is curing. I have seen it happen many times. So if your nose is inflamed by nose pillows it might be allergic reaction. Ditto where plastic is tight against your face like at the bridge of your nose. Those red marks where the rest of the mask is sitting may also be a reaction. So far I am fortunate.... the only issue I have had is the pressure on the bridge of my nose causing blisters due to the pressure itself. Great caution must be exercised when this happens and one must MUST deal with it lest the blistering progress to deeper sores that require medical intervention. I resolved my problem with the use of a mask that has a forehead brace to spread the pressure and remove it from the sensitive bridge of one's nose.

Mask sizing is not for the weak of heart.... it may take time, effort and money. But once you have the fit right it is a huge relief. Keep at it. Not all masks are created equal and not all masks are going to work for you even if they work for your friend, size notwithstanding.

TorontoCPAguy, Thanks, that was a lot of sharing. Good input. The bridge hurting for me was like pressure. I think it dug in when I lay on my side. I am watching it all. Here is the link to the Easy Life I am referring to and in the same category as the Mirage Activa you use.
http://tinyurl.com/2dase69
Here is the link to your Mirage Activa. I will take a closer look at this one.
http://tinyurl.com/24gdzvu

These look somewhat similar. Since I like the EasyLife but problem with the pressure or whatever on my nose, wouldn’t the Mirage Activa be a good one to try. It looked like the Mirage Activa was over your mouth. It wasn’t was it? Looks like a lot of replacement stuff available on the Activa. How much of this goes out, gets lost or broke? I can see accessories but not a lot of replacements? I couldn't even figure out where some of those things would go.

I forgot the Fisher one that I referred to in my last post is the ZEST and it also is in the Nasal Category. It is the adjuster that slides on the bottom strap to center it that I don’t like.

Are some of you telling me that we have to keep putting dollars out for these to test them and find out they are not the ones we would like. So far we are getting what we need. I think we will be limited.

It is getting a little easier and less frustrating to discuss the masks. Have to work on some of the accessories later.

Thanks and I really appreciate all this help.

Unfortunately, yes, unless you have a supplier that is going to let you try on and then take home to try out various masks in various sizes, you are going to have to spend some money. Now compare $300 for a mask in Canada (perhaps even $350) to $50 for the very same mask stateside. Guess where I buy? And I have masks that I may never bother to try on after having had a closer look at them. The Easy Life mask shown is a definite tosser for me... unless I am mistaken it looks to me like the forehead brace that would spread the pressure and remove it from the bridge of the nose is not adjustable like the ResMed Mirage Activa, which actually allows you to crank it in and out with a dial depending on how puffy your face, nose, forehead may be on a particular day and/or how old your mask is getting and how floppy that thin plastic remains. I like the Mirage Activa and it is my #1 nosebag at the moment with a few others to try out, like the softgel, etc.

Insofar as full face masks are concerned, for the same reason I have locked in with the Mirage Quattro and while I am still looking for better (always) it works for me quite well.

Size, as I said, is also a critical component and has nothing to do with the size of your nose really but more so with the makeup of your facial structure; the mask needs to sit on the fleshiest portions of your face wherever possible. Hence, the bridge of the nose being a nasty place for it to be sitting. It is not fleshy, the seal is difficult to maintain (and you get dry eyeballs from the air leakage) and blisters as a result. The blisters are not just painful and unsightly but make wearing glasses a pain at times and are, in fact, dangerous if they are not inclined to heal well and quickly (diabetics take note). We recently had a cousin in NJ/PA actually die from bedsores that were impossible to treat despite the strongest antibiotics available, surgery, etc. They just kept eating into her flesh, poisoning her body and blood and then shutting things down and she was gone. We are still in shock - it was just a bedsore for crying out loud. She started in a small hospital in NJ and was transferred to a large modern facility near Phily but it made no difference - diabetic and in poor general condition and she simply could not heal herself.

Anyway, keep working on the mask issue and keep in mind that you may have some allergic reaction to the rubber/plastic as well. There are folks on here that put tape on their masks to keep the rubber/plastic from their skin. WHATEVER WORKS. Just keep at it. Eventually it does all come together.

The head part is not adjustable on the EasyLife. I think the one of my husband’s that I tried had something like that. One of them here did. Do you use different styles at different times. For myself I was just thinking of the nasal pillows and then something over my nose for a break at times. You are using Mirage and then still referred to the Quattro.

I experienced leaking into my eyes in the beginning. I contacted my eye doctor and he suggested drops for dry eyes. I had to stop for several days to clear my eyes up. This was in the beginning and I didn’t realize what all was happening. If the return vent moves wrong way it can somehow bounce back in my eyes. I almost quit over that. My eyes are too precious.

I will have to share these messages with my husband. He has just started using sleep machine again. He seems to be doing fine with the Swift FX. He has been diagnosed with diabetes this year. We are aware of those kind of problems that can happen. He tried this over 5 years ago and was never successful and had no good techs or anyone following thru with him. My best friend’s husband has serious diabetes that needs watched close. Real difficult hospital trips this year. I understand what you wrote.

I have Internet friends from other message boards that live in Canada. I feel right at home with your reference to the States and the different prices too.

Thanks again and I appreciate it. I think I need to get off to sleep soon.

Philips Respironics masks have a fitting guide built into the plastic bag the mask is in. It's a strip across the top that has size guides that you punch out and hold the strip up to your nose/mouth to see which fits. It's like the hard plastic one the DME should have used to fit you with but probably didn't, only its part of the plastic bag.

My big disappointment with the Mirage Quattro (and Micro to a lesser extent, was that even with the forehead brace, the mask frames rock on my cheekbones, preventing a seal at either the bridge of the nose or at the bottom of the mask--I 'get' to pick which. You would think that at those prices, they might a have sprung for a larger range of sizes and shapes.

These issues with irritation on the nose --nares and bridge-- were a significant factor leading me to trial of total face masks. I love them! I alternate the Respironics FitLife mask and the Total Face mask. They are totally different styles. The FitLife is like a fighter-pilot mask and the Total Face Mask is more like a space helmet mask. Nothing touches the nose with either. They also solve the problem of mouth breathing, especially when using a PapCap with them. Noisy leaks are easily rectified by sticking a finger under the seal. The FitLife does (quietly) leak at the forehead, but the leak does not hurt the mask's effectiveness. The PapCap minimalizes the forehead leak and the air blows on my PapCap rather than on my skin. Both are non-claustrophobic because they are clear and the headgear is unobtrusive and comfortable. I can sleep on my side with both.

Everyone starts with minimalist masks, thinking that they will be the least annoying, but to my surprise the total face masks were the best solution. I tried over a dozen different types of masks before finally trying and settling on these.